D.C.'s Gridiron Club on the griddle

Washington, D.C.’s Gridiron Club — the small, private club featuring many of Washington’s most prestigious journalists — is coming under fire for its policy of forbidding cameras.

Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney has penned an op-ed arguing that the Gridiron runs the risk of becoming archaic, noting that the white-tie dress code is a bit silly, and suggesting that the dinners importance has been diminished.

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“Obama skipped the dinner in 2009 and 2010 because it conflicted with his children’s spring break from school. I applaud his priorities as a father, but he clearly views the Gridiron as expendable,” writes McCartney. “George W. Bush attended six out of eight Gridirons during his presidency. And neither Obama nor Bush missed a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.”

McCartney also snubs the Gridiron as journalistic malfeasance, from the perception that journalists are chummy with politicians at the dinners to the fact that the dinner is technically off-the-record (they’ve become less strict about leaks, however) and video cameras are not allowed.

“[P]ut the whole show on television. That would inoculate the Gridiron against the ailment that threatens it most: lack of transparency. … Moreover, the funny lyrics and goofy costumes would instantly make the Gridiron must-see Internet video. That hasn’t happened partly because the journalist performers are willing to look foolish in front of the president but not the world. … Don’t keep the fun for yourselves, Gridiron. Share it with everybody, and you’ll benefit in the long run.”